What's Driving Open Source 2.0?October 8, 2014
We're hearing more from vendors about how new features, functionality, rewrites and releases are being driven by customers -- by their direct experience using the software and competing in their various industries. We're also hearing from customers and users, including the enterprise market, that increasingly they are involved and thus empowered in open source software communities.

Systemd Dev Slams FOSS CultureOctober 7, 2014
The open source community is "quite a sick place to be in," said Red Hat engineer and Systemd developer Lennart Poettering. "The open source community is full of [assh*les], and I probably more than most others am one of their most favorite targets," Poettering added. "I get hate mail for hacking on open source. People have started multiple 'petitions' .... asking me to stop working.

The Importance of Being FOSSOctober 6, 2014
It's a fact of life in virtually every community that there will be countless daily distractions -- news announcements, controversies, squabbles -- that take up the majority of our time and energy, leaving little for the big picture. The Linux community is no exception. That's why it was such a relief to see a post recently that struck directly to the core of all that is FOSS.

Darkcoin Steps Out of the ShadowsOctober 1, 2014
Darkcoin has exited beta and is now ready for mainstream use. Also, the software's code is now open source. Darkcoin is the first fully open source cryptocurrency with financial privacy built directly into the software, its developers claimed. Open-sourcing financial software is vitally important, they said, because it instills confidence that users' financial privacy is protected.

GNOME Again, GNOME Again, Jiggety JigSeptember 29, 2014
There's just never a dull moment here in the Linux blogosphere, and the last week or so has been a perfect illustration. Not only did the Shellshock bug hit the proverbial fan, but the ever-burning Systemd flames flared even brighter, thanks to the addition of some fresh fuel. The Debian team has decided to make the GNOME desktop default again -- and Systemd is at least part of the reason.

The Power of Linux (Almost) EverywhereSeptember 26, 2014
Linux -- the free open source operating system for enterprise, small business and home computing use -- is not used everywhere yet. However, its user base crosses nearly every industry. It's in consumer products like TVs and computer networking gear. Linux drives services that users do not even know run Linux. Think in terms of servers, Big Data farms and cloud storage facilities.

Dan Allen and Sarah White: Documentation Dearth Dooms Open Source ProjectsSeptember 24, 2014
One of the essential draws to open source software should be superior product documentation. Well-written user guidelines are a key strategy that software developers should use to increase an open source project's growth and user adoption.
All too often, programmers finish their last line of code and shove the open source software out the door. Documentation is often an afterthought, if that.

Farewell, Bonny Bodhi?September 22, 2014
Well autumn is nigh upon us here in the Northern reaches of the Linux blogosphere, and any day now the a/c will downshift to "medium" over at the Broken Windows Lounge. Oktoberfest ales are selling like hotcakes, and more than a few bloggers are rejoicing at the end of the Dog Days in fact -- but for the recent arrival of a sad bit of news: Developer Jeff Hoogland is leaving Bodhi Linux.

PredictionIO's Simon Chan on Machine Learning by Devs for DevsSeptember 16, 2014
PredictionIO is building the MySQL of prediction. The young company recently released version 0.7.3 of its open source machine-learning server. Unlike typical prediction algorithms and open source libraries, PredictionIO is based on making machine learning more available. Cofounder Simon Chan sees a gaping hole in open source tools to connect database programmers and software developers.

Is It Time to Cleave Linux in Two?September 15, 2014
Fires may be easy to start, but putting them out is a different matter. Case in point: the Systemd inferno. What started a few weeks ago as a relatively straightforward controversy over an oft-debated technology Visit the VMware Tech Center has now virtually blown up in Linux fans' faces. The latest flareup? None other than the suggestion that Linux be split in two.

College Degree vs. Coding Experience: Which Matters More?September 8, 2014
Well it was another rough week here in the Linux blogosphere, thanks to the ongoing conflagration over Systemd. Linux Girl hasn't dared shed her flame-retardant cape yet -- just in case -- but was relieved when the conversation took a turn late in the week down at the blogosphere's seedy Broken Windows Lounge. More than a few bloggers were seeking some respite from the flames.

Matthew Miller: The Remaking of Fedora 1, 2, 3September 3, 2014
Fedora is perhaps one of the hallmark Linux distributions. It is sponsored by Red Hat, the commercial developer of RHEL. Red Hat's investment in the Fedora community is collaborative. Fedora Linux releases often provide RHEL developers with a field test environment that incubates innovative open source software technologies. Red Hat Linux 1.0 was released in late 1994 as Red Hat Commercial Linux.

Fanning the Flames of the Systemd InfernoSeptember 2, 2014
They say art imitates life, but it's surprising how often the same can be said of the Linux blogs. Case in point: Just as the world at large is filled today with fiery strife -- Gaza, Ukraine, Syria, Ferguson -- so, too, is the Linux blogosphere. Of course, it's not political, social or racial struggles tearing the FOSS community apart. Rather, the dividing issue here is none other than Systemd.

Peach OSI Is Fresh and JuicyAugust 29, 2014
Peach OSI is a new Linux distro that stands apart from the crowd. Its first stable version was just released in June -- yet it displays more performance traits and sophistication than many Linux distros that have been searching for an audience for years. In the crowded Linux distro field, it is very rare to find a newcomer that is not like any of the others.

Kano's Alejandro Simon: If This, Then Do ThatAugust 27, 2014
Imagine a world where playing Pong and Minecraft gives people the power to program their computers. That world is Kano. A crowdfunded startup, it took the idea behind Lego to teach computer programming by playing first-generation computer games. Kano launched on Kickstarter in November 2013. More than 13,000 people from some 50 countries raised $1.5 million in 30 days.

Open Source Software: Sailing Into Friendlier SeasAugust 26, 2014
Open source software is now a force drawing enterprises and developers like a magnet. The factors pulling adopters into the open source fold are changing, though. Also changing are the attitudes of software developers and corporate leaders about the viability and adaptability of open source. Open source software is increasingly important within the corporation.

Torvalds Says Yes to the DesktopAugust 25, 2014
It was just a few short weeks ago that we here in the Linux blogosphere were rehashing the open source world's documentation dilemma -- one of those perennial topics bloggers love to resurrect whenever there appears to be a lull in the conversation. At the time, alert readers may recall, Linux Girl compared the topic to the ongoing "Year of Linux on the Desktop" debate -- another favorite.

The Connected Car, Part 3: No Shortcuts to SecurityAugust 19, 2014
The connected car is becoming a reality, but the gadget-filled roadways it travels will be paved with several options for in-car technologies. These choices pose challenges for carmakers. Whichever technology wins the race, one of the biggest concerns for OEMs is their electronic security. The Linux Foundation wants an open source platform in the pole position.

Loving Linux: Ain't Nothin' Like the 1st TimeAugust 18, 2014
You never forget your first love, and that appears to apply just as well to Linux as to relationships in real life. To wit: "What was your first Linux distro?" is the title of a recent "Voice of the Masses" poll, and throughout the blogosphere the nostalgic reminiscences have been pouring forth ever since. Some 100 bloggers proclaimed their first Linuxy loves in the poll's comments.

Scott Sanchez on OpenStack: Shifting a MindsetAugust 15, 2014
OpenStack, which turned 4 years old this summer, began as a twinkle in Scott Sanchez's eyes. He was determined to turn the fledgling Infrastructure as a Service platform he helped create into a thriving resource for public and private clouds. OpenStack is an open source project. Its technology consists of a series of interrelated projects for managing public and private cloud operations.

OpenMandriva Lx: Not the KDE You KnewAugust 14, 2014
OpenMandriva Lx 2014 is a KDE-only Linux distribution that has some rough edges but is otherwise a solid and reliable choice for user-friendly computing. This latest version, dubbed "Phosphorus," is based on the Mandriva Linux project and ROSA, a Russian Linux distro. ROSA forked from Mandriva Linux in 2012. It integrated many of Mandriva's original tools and utilities with its own enhancements.

Yahoo, Google Team Up to Fight Email SnoopsAugust 13, 2014
Yahoo and Google last week announced they'd be teaming up to secure their Web mail systems with encryption by the end of next year. "Our goal is to make end-to-end encryption fully available in 2015," said Yahoo Vice President of Information Security Alex Stamos. Yahoo will be releasing the code for its encryption solution to the open source community.

FOSS' Documentation DilemmaAugust 11, 2014
Hang around for any length of time in the seedy bars and watering holes of the Linux blogosphere, and you'll soon realize that certain topics tend to recur with surprising frequency. The most obvious example, of course, is the Year of Linux on the Desktop -- a topic scientists have determined will surely outlive us all. The latest example to rear its head? FOSS documentation.

Beating the Bushes for the Best Linux BrowsersAugust 4, 2014
Browsers have been a hot topic lately here in the Linux blogosphere, not just because of all the woes plaguing Tor in recent weeks, but also because of the increasingly worried mumbling about Firefox's future. It's been difficult to discern where a FOSS fan should turn, so it was with great relief that Linux Girl recently came upon an article dedicated to that very topic.